The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I came across this strange pair of floats in a lot i bought privately.
I can,t find any referance to them anywhere.
would you think they were artisan made and how would you use them?
I think that they were used flat as a cunning disgise so the fish would think that its a leaf.
Very strange and also very clever.

I think that they're supposed to be used for trotting in fast water and that they grip the stream/flow to enable better control!

The Sail or Aerofoil float, as described by Ron Lewis in his book ‘Fishing’ in the 1960’s.

I had one of the sail type floats in the 60s, it used a rubber on the bottom with a small eye on the shoulder. Didn't find it any better than a normal one, same with fluted floats. But we all wanted one!

This looks like a variation on the Aero float from a Sixties fishing magazine. The idea was that the float resisted coming into the bankside when you held back. It is based on the principle of the aerofoil, hence the name.

It would only work going in one direction, so you need pair of opposites.

Here's the magazine entry by Arthur Clark ( no relation, but a clearly shared addiction) from 1968:




I had a go too:

So long as there are anglers making tackle, the spirit of W. Heath Robinson will live on.

Phil

Duckett wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 7:08 pm So long as there are anglers making tackle, the spirit of W. Heath Robinson will live on.

Phil

Heath Robinson, my hero

Crucian wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:52 pm

Duckett wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 7:08 pm So long as there are anglers making tackle, the spirit of W. Heath Robinson will live on.

Phil

Heath Robinson, my hero

I find his work endlessly fascinating.

Phil

Duckett wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:58 pm

Crucian wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:52 pm

Duckett wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 7:08 pm So long as there are anglers making tackle, the spirit of W. Heath Robinson will live on.

Phil

Heath Robinson, my hero

I find his work endlessly fascinating.

Phil

Me too Phil, I like the ‘mend and make do’ attitude. His illustrations are superb too, a very clever man indeed.

Paul.

Be interesting to see how they fish?